There is little time for breaks as Thomas Tuchel’s men face Sheffield United this Sunday night. After a huge London Derby win on Thursday, Chelsea will be looking to continue their fine form with another victory.
Team News
Thiago Silva picked up a muscle injury against Tottenham and is ruled out of the Sheffield United match. Kurt Zouma and Kai Havertz seem to have recovered from their injuries as they were seen back in training, giving Tuchel more options. The rest of the squad is available for selection. A benefit to Tuchel as the quick turnaround of games presents opportunities for those who missed out on our fantastic derby win.
Predicted XI
In goal, Edouard Mendy will be hoping for his 11th clean sheet of the season, putting him joint second with Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez, only behind Manchester City’s Ederson in the race for the Premier League Golden Glove Award.
In defence, the only change expected is Andreas Christensen in for the injured Thiago Silva. The Dane put in a solid performance against Tottenham and will likely retain his place in the heart of our back three. Alongside him will be Cesar Azpilicueta and Antonio Rudiger who have been in fine form since the arrival of Tuchel.
Marcos Alonso and Callum Hudson-Odoi will occupy the left and right wing-back positions. The two players have played a substantial amount of minutes recently, but Tuchel won’t want to drop them while they are in such good form.
N’Golo Kante and Kovacic will be the two holding midfielders. Kante had a shaky start when brought on against Tottenham, but this was to be expected after being out for some time. The Frenchman is still our best midfielder and this could be the perfect opportunity to provide him with some much-needed match fitness.
Playing behind the striker will be Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech. Mason Mount has been in superb form lately, but the characteristics of Pulisic and Ziyech are ideal for this type of opposition. Pulisic’s ability to commit players and Ziyech’s creativity will be needed this Sunday, while Tammy Abraham plays up top. The English international has been our most potent forward and I back him to increase his tally this weekend.
Full Predicted XI
Mendy
Azpi, Christensen, Rudiger
Hudson-Odoi, Kante, Kovacic, Alonso
Pulisic, Ziyech
Abraham
